Christmas would not be Christmas without a mince pie. Historically, mince pies contained minced meat along with festive fruits and spices – hence the name – but the modern mince pie is thankfully meat-free. However, most mince pies on the supermarket shelves are still not vegan-friendly, often containing butter, milk, or egg.
Vegan mince pies first hit the mainstream in 2017, with UK supermarket Asda the first to launch its own brand plant-based version with dairy-free pastry. Over the following years, other major UK supermarket brands have released their own vegan versions of the Christmas treat.
According to research by Money.co.uk, Tesco Plant Chef Mince Pies are the best value from the big supermarkets, with each pie costing 21p each. Aldi Free From Mince Pies and Sainsbury’s Free From Mince Pies come in second and third, at 34p and 38p respectively. Of all the supermarkets analysed, M&S Plant Kitchen Mince Pies contained the most calories, at 241 calories per pie. Waitrose FF Mince Pies boasted the lowest sugar count at 12.3g, less half the amount of the M&S version, while Morrisons Free From Mince Pies contained the least amount of calories, at 211 per pie.
Interestingly, while the research acknowledges the rise in veganism and demand for plant-based products, it does show that the average cost per vegan mince pie is 44p, almost double the cost of the average conventional option from the same retailers.
